Animal (song)
"Animal" is a song by Def Leppard and is the third track on their 1987 album Hysteria. It was also released as the second single from that album. "Animal" became the band's first Top 10 hit in their native UK, reaching No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart. Recording "Animal" is usually noted by the band as having been the most difficult track to record for Hysteria. Although it was one of the first songs developed in early 1984, neither the band nor the producers who came and went (Jim Steinman, Nigel Green, & Mutt Lange) were able to produce the desired sound until two and a half painstaking years later. Due to its early beginnings, it was the only Hysteria track demoed by Rick Allen on an acoustic drum kit prior to his car accident, Allen having recorded a drum beat for the song onto a four track tape during early sessions. However, the effort paid off when "Animal" was released as the lead single off the album in July 1987. In the UK, where the band was all but ignored during the Pyromania era, the song hit #6 on the singles chart and broke Def Leppard into the pop mainstream across Europe. Over in America, the lead single "Women" performed poorly on the pop charts, which didn't give the band much momentum when "Animal" was released afterwards in October 1987. It did reach a respectable #19, though, starting their run of ten consecutive U. S. Billboard Top 40 singles, and is still one of the most popular numbers at Def Leppard concerts today. The single's UK B-side, "Tear It Down", was written during a recording session following the completion of the Hysteria album, where the band laid down several tracks intended as B-sides for the Hysteria singles. Subsequently, the song itself received radio airplay. The line in the song, "Like the restless rust, I never sleep", is a reference to Neil Young's album Rust Never Sleeps. Track Listing '7": Bludgeon Riffola / LEP1 (UK)' #"Animal" #"Tear It Down" '7": Mercury / PolyGram / 888-832-7 (US)' #"Animal" #"I Wanna Be Your Hero" Lyrics A wild ride Over stony ground Such a lust for a life The circus comes to town We are the hungry ones On a lighting raid Just like a river runs Like a fire needs flame Oh, I burn for you I gotta feel it in my blood Woah oh I need your touch Don't need your love Woah oh And I want And I need And I lust Animal And I want And I need And I lust Animal Cry wolf Given mouth to mouth Like a movin' heartbeat In the witching hour I'm runnin' with the wind A shadow in the dust And like the drivin' rain, yeah Like the restless rust I never sleep I gotta feel it in my blood Woah oh I need your touch Don't need your love Woah oh And I want And I need And I lust Animal And I want And I need And I lust Animal Huh, ah Cry wolf baby, cry tough Gunna hunt you like an An an animal Gonna take your love and run I gotta feel it in my blood Woah oh I need your touch Don't need your love Woah oh And I want And I need And I lust Animal And I want And I need And I lust Animal And I want (and I want) And I need (and I need) And I lust (and I lust) Animal (animal) And I want (take me) And I need (tame me) And I lust (make me your) Animal (animal) And I want (show me) And I need (stroke me) And I lust (let me be your) Animal And I want (I want) And I need (ooh ooh ooh) And I lust (animal) Animal Heh heh Length *Album version: 4:02 *Live: 4:52 *Extended version: 4:53 Personnel *Joe Elliott – lead vocals *Steve Clark – rhythm guitars, backing vocals *Phil Collen – lead guitar, backing vocals *Rick Savage – bass guitar, backing vocals *Rick Allen – drums Category:Singles Category:Songs Category:Hysteria